When you begin to think about investing, one of the first words that comes to mind is risk. With every decision you make, you have to weigh the amount of risk that comes along with the opportunity for growth.

On this episode of the Money Wisdom podcast, we’re talking all about risk and how someone’s risk profile applies to our client’s retirement planning. The reason we felt the need to take on this topic for the show is because we realize most people aren’t actually comfortable with the risk they’re taking in their portfolio once we break it down for them.

What we have also seen through the years is that well over half of our clients are risk-averse. They don’t want to see a downturn at all even though they realize it happens from time to time. Given the choice, they’d rather have a smaller return that carries much less risk. And that mindset is not something an advisor can change. Trying to convince them to take on more or less risk just doesn’t work. It’s about building a plan that lines up with their comfort level.

The other side of this discussion is at some point you just don’t need to take on much risk no matter what risk profile you possess. There comes a point in your planning process that it’s more about protecting what you’ve built and we work with our clients to accomplish that and ensure a successful retirement.

Our approach to risk involves three steps:

1. Have some of your money in a safe place
2. Look to generate a reasonable rate of return
3. Keep it simple

As you’ll hear during the conversation, our risk analysis comes later in the financial plan because we want to know where you’re going before we figure out how you need to get there. If you’re ready to get a full assessment of your portfolio, get in touch with us and begin your complimentary Money Map review process.

Let’s get started with the show. You can listen to it by using the audio player above and click on the timestamps to skip to a specific topic of conversation.

0:46 – What guidance would you give Warren Buffet for his $100 billion?

2:37 – What percentage of clients are comfortable with risk? 

3:57 – Balancing a couple that sees risk differently 

5:50 – How often does a portfolio line up with risk tolerance?

8:38 – Reducing risk without reducing opportunities for growth  

10:36 – Risk analysis we provide